California Life Sciences (CLS) Elects New Board Chair, Vice Chair, and Four Members to Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., September 8, 2026 — California Life Sciences (CLS) today announced new leadership for its Board of Directors. Joy Russell, Global Vice President, U.S. External Affairs at Genentech, has been elected Chair of the Board, and Sarah Huoh, Corporate Vice President, Public Affairs, at Edwards Lifesciences, has been elected Vice Chair. CLS also welcomed four new members to its Board of Directors: Chee Lum, PhD; Charles McWilliams; Anja Preissmann, PhD; and Andrew M. Ratz, PhD.

Introducing New Board Leadership

“California Life Sciences is fortunate to welcome Joy Russell as our new Board Chair and Sarah Huoh as Vice Chair,” said Mike Guerra, President and Chief Executive Officer of California Life Sciences. “Both bring decades of experience in government relations, patient advocacy, and strategic global stakeholder engagement from their work in the life sciences industry, and that depth matters now more than ever. I look forward to partnering with them as we continue our work to protect the conditions that have made California the place where life sciences innovation happens.”

Joy Russell

Currently serving as Global Vice President, U.S. External Affairs for Genentech, Joy is focused on driving change in the healthcare ecosystem to maintain critical relationships with Genentech’s external partners and develop forward-looking policy solutions that protect innovation while improving access to Genentech’s medicines.

Joy oversees all of Genentech’s federal, state, and local lobbying efforts and U.S. Government Affairs teams, Patient Advocacy Relations, Population Health, Issue Advocacy & Alliance teams, and the U.S. Policy and Evidence team.

Joy directly leads all engagement efforts with external stakeholders and key opinion leaders, including national, state, and local executive agencies, patient advocates, legislatures, and trade associations. Under her leadership, these teams drive transparency, adopt a patient-centric approach to market innovation, and enhance Genentech’s reputation through an innovative strategy that not only navigates the complex healthcare landscape but actively shapes it, ensuring patient access to life-altering medicines and paving the way for groundbreaking scientific advancement.

Sarah Huoh

Sarah Huoh became Corporate Vice President, Public Affairs, for Edwards Lifesciences in September 2024. With more than 20 years of experience in medical technology and healthcare, she has successfully led numerous high-profile initiatives and engagements, supporting and enhancing company reputations through strategic global stakeholder engagement. Huoh joined Edwards in 2007 in global communications, and, in the following 15 years, assumed increasing levels of responsibility, leading external communications and media strategy for key Edwards milestones including the introduction of Edwards’ transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and subsequent expansions globally. In 2023, she was named senior vice president of public affairs and strategy, leading the development of the company’s global public affairs strategy, as well as the functions of global corporate giving, corporate medical affairs, and patient engagement.

“On behalf of California Life Sciences and our Board of Directors, I want to thank Nadir Mahmood, PhD, of Nkarta for his two years of leadership as our Board Chair,” said Guerra. “Nadir worked closely with our policy and advocacy team throughout his tenure, and he took that commitment directly to lawmakers, testifying before the California State Assembly to help educate policymakers on the potential impacts of AB 1776 on our industry. That kind of willingness to show up and make the case in person is exactly what strengthens our advocacy on behalf of the life sciences community. I am grateful for his dedication to protecting the ecosystem that lets California’s life sciences companies do their best work, and I look forward to his continued partnership as a member of our board.”

Board Members

“We are pleased to welcome four new members to our Board of Directors: Chee Lum, PhD; Charles McWilliams; Anja Preissmann, PhD; and Andrew M. Ratz, PhD,” said Guerra. “Together, they bring deep expertise in research and development, commercial strategy, development and manufacturing, and technical development, the kind of hands-on operational knowledge that reflects the full arc of building a life sciences company. I am confident that their experience will help us better serve our members wherever they are in their journey, and I look forward to working alongside them as we continue building the ecosystem that lets California’s life sciences companies grow.”

Chee Lum, PhD

Chee Lum is Vice President and General Manager of the Dispensing Solutions platform within Medication Management Solutions (MMS) at BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company). In this role, he leads the BD Pyxis™ automated dispensing cabinet and BD HealthSight™ portfolios, overseeing a platform responsible for more than $1.3 billion in annual revenue, with a significant portion generated in the United States. With more than 17 years at BD, Chee has held leadership roles spanning R&D, marketing, program management, and global platform leadership.

Charles McWilliams

Charles McWilliams serves as Vice President, Strategic Alliances and West Sales at VWR, part of Avantor, where he leads commercial teams and strategy, and he leads the VWR/BIO Business Solutions program supporting thousands of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical technology companies. With more than 25 years of experience partnering with life sciences, medical device, academic, government, and semiconductor organizations, Charles is a long-standing champion of the state and regional bioscience ecosystem

Anja Preissmann, PhD

Dr. Anja Preissmann is the President and Site Head of Boehringer Ingelheim Fremont Inc., where she leads the company’s U.S. Biopharma Operations, overseeing the development and manufacturing of biopharmaceutical medicines. She has been with Boehringer Ingelheim for more than three decades, holding leadership positions across Operations, Development, Manufacturing, and Global Supply.

Andrew M. Ratz, PhD

Andrew Ratz, PhD, was appointed Senior Vice President, Drug Development, Delivery and Device in January 2025, and Chief Technical Operations Officer in February 2026. He is responsible for leading the Company’s global technical development, manufacturing and supply chain functions, supporting Neurocrine’s expansion beyond small molecules into biologics and device-based therapies.

To view our full Board of Directors, visit https://www.califesciences.org/board-of-directors/.

About California Life Sciences: California Life Sciences (CLS) is the state’s leading advocate for the life sciences. We represent the entire innovation ecosystem, from startups and global companies to research institutions and service providers. We champion smart policy, foster strategic connections, and deliver resources that help life sciences companies grow and thrive. Based in the global epicenter of innovation, we work to ensure that the discoveries made here translate into healthier lives everywhere.

###

For media inquiries, please contact:

Katie Kiss
Senior Director, Marketing
(858) 456-8894
[email protected]